•#4 in New York City and #37 nationwide for placing graduates in full-time positions with law firms with over 100 attorneys (2016 ABA Employment Summary). The National Law Journal has repeatedly named Cardozo a “Go-To” law school for placement at the nation’s largest firms.

•#11 in the country by preLaw Magazine for two types of public interest and public service law: public defenders/prosecutors, as well as government work. (Based on the number of graduates with positions at government agencies or in district attorneys and public defenders offices, and in consideration of Cardozo’s curricular offerings and loan repayment options).

Welcome to Cardozo’s Office of Career Services! If you are considering Cardozo but are not yet sure of what you want to do with your law degree, set your fears aside and be confident in the fact that we will work closely with you throughout your law school career and beyond to help you find and develop the career path that is right for you. If you are joining us with a specific practice area in mind, we will guide you in your efforts to gain the real-world experience that will maximize your marketability and give you access to opportunities in your chosen practice area.

We make it one of our primary goals to find innovative ways to educate you about the many career opportunities that await. Beginning in your first year, you will be encouraged to attend and participate in programs and events both on and off campus that are designed to provide opportunities to explore the range of legal career options. Many of these events involve meeting with and hearing from attorneys in a broad range of legal practice areas. We host a number of general and targeted-practice-area symposia in which hundreds of employers visit the school and set up tables for students to visit and speak with practicing attorneys. Throughout the school year, we conduct a Practice Profile Lunch series in which attorneys meet with smaller groups of students in an informal, brown-bag-lunch setting. We also cosponsor panel discussions with various student groups where substantive, cutting-edge legal issues in a particular practice area are explored in depth.

As your collage of practice-area snapshots begin to merge into one big picture, the next step is to begin defining your own personal career goals. One of the primary ways in which we assist you is through one-on-one, individualized counseling sessions with one of six full-time professional counselors, all of whom have practiced law in a variety of settings. We will explore with you the aspects of your legal education and experience that you find most fulfilling and help you think through the many available options.

We then prepare you extensively for the process of identifying and meeting with potential employers. We begin with careful attention to developing a strong legal resume and cover letter that capture in the best way possible the experience and credentials that will distinguish you in the marketplace. We will help you identify areas to highlight and propose concrete ways to enhance credentials that we know, from our experience, will be sought by employers in your practice area of interest.

Next, we focus on helping you develop the networking and interviewing skills that will help you throughout your legal career. Our carefully structured workshops, mock interview programs, networking events and panel discussions will thoroughly prepare you for the sometimes challenging situations that you will encounter in meeting and connecting with practicing attorneys.

Finally, we will help you make the right connections with potential employers through our spring and fall recruitment programs, during which hundreds of employers interview—and hire—Cardozo students for internships, summer associate positions and postgraduate positions. We also provide access to over 30 job fairs across the country, including regional job fairs, diversity-related job fairs and job fairs focused on specific areas of practice, such as patent law or public interest law.

For a complete overview of OCS Services for students, please see our Current Students section.